Identification band

ABSTRACT

An identification band to be secured to the arm or other limb of a wearer and intended to have the name or other appropriate identification of the person to which the band may be applied. The band comprises an elongated tube of nonelastic material which is preferably transparent, to allow an identification card to be inserted in the tube and to be visible through the wall thereof, bearing the name or other identification of the person. One end of the band has a clip applied thereto while the opposite end is adapted to be folded over the first-mentioned end and to be secured together by the clip. The clip is intended to be permanently closed when the band is applied to an individual and to maintain the effective overlapped relation of the ends of the tube. The card has means for indicating the extent of insertion thereof so as to locate the card in the desired position in the tube and properly spaced from the clip end.

[ June 17, 1975 IDENTIFICATION BAND [75] Inventors: Lorene Laugherty;James R. I

Laugherty, both of Knoxville, Tenn.

[73] Assignee: Laugherty Incorporated, Knoxville,

Tenn.

22 Filed: Jan. 10, 1974 211 'Appl. No.: 432,415

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No.240,139, March 31, 1972, Pat. No. 3,800,450.

Ford 40/21 C Primary ExaminerRobert W. Michell A ssistant Examiner-Wenceslao J. Contreras Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Burns, Doane, Swecker &Mathis [57] ABSTRACT An identification band to be secured to the arm orother limb of a wearer and intended to have the name or otherappropriate identification of the person to which the band may beapplied. The band comprises an elongated tube of nonelastic materialwhich is pref erably transparent, to allow an identification card to beinserted in the tube and to be visible through the wall thereof, bearingthe name or other identification of the person. One end of the band hasa clip applied thereto while the opposite end is adapted to be foldedover the first-mentioned end and to be secured together by the clip. Theclip is intended to be permanently closed when the band is applied to anindividual and to maintain the effective overlapped relation of the endsof the tube. The card has means for indicating the extent of insertionthereof so as to locate the card in the desired position in the tube andproperly spaced from the clip end.

3 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure IDENTIFICATION BAND This application is acontinuation-in-part of our prior application for Identification Band,Ser. No. 240,139 filed Mar. 31, 1972 and which has since issued as US.Pat. No. 3,800,450.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to improvements inidentification bands of the character adapted to be applied to an arm orother limb of a wearer and having means for effecting identification ofthe person.

Various attempts have been made heretofore to provide identificationbands. Some of these have used insertion cards within a tubularstructure formed by folding a strip of elastic material upon itself andenclosing a strip of inelastic material therein to prevent stretching ofthe hand. These have been expensive to form or manufacture and areunsatisfactory in service because of the difficulties of insertion ofthe identification card in the seamed tubular structure.

It is customary to insert in the band a card bearing the identificationof the person to whom the band is applied. No satisfactory means hasbeen provided heretofore for the insertion and location of the card indesirable position with respect to the band and the clip thereof.

One object of this invention is to overcome these objections and toimprove the construction of identification bands for the purposedescribed.

Another object of the invention is to simplify and improve themanufacture and construction of identification bands to enable these tobe made inexpensively and of fewer parts than was required heretoforeand yet to be effective in service for the purpose intended and willmaintain a permanent and secure connection with the person.

Still another object of the invention is to provide for the manufactureof identification bands by automatic machinery at high speed and whichmay be compactly stored complete and ready for use without requiring anymetal parts, but which is self-contained and effective for the purpose.

A further object of the invention is to provide means on theidentification card to indicate the proper extent of insertion thereofinto the band and thereby to locate the card in proper and desiredrelation to the band.

These objects may be accomplishing according to one embodiment of theinvention by using a tube of nonseamed, nonstretchable, transparentmaterial adapted for receiving therein an identification strip or cardthat will be fully exposed through the wall of the transparent tube forproper identification of the person to whom the band is applied.

A clip is secured to one end of the tube in such manner that theopposite end of the tube can be folded over the said one end within theclip. The strip or card has indicia thereon so as to indicate the properdegree of insertion of the identification card and to locate it inproper and desired relation to the band and with respect to the clip.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS This embodiment of the invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the identification band with the card incourse of being inserted;

FIG. 2 is a cross section through the band and identification card onthe line 22 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a similar view of the band after application;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the identification band tube and cardbefore insertion of the latter;

FIG. 5 is a similar view, with the card partially inserted;

FIG. 6 is a similar view with the card fully inserted; and

FIG. 7 is a similar view with the insert portion being removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention is illustrated anddescribed in the form of an identification band of a size and shapeadapted to encircle the wrist or other limb of a wearer as an example ofthe use thereof. Such bands are frequently used in hospitals for theproper identification of the patients and carry other indiciaappropriate to such hospital treatment.

The identification band comprises an elongated tube 1 made of a suitabletransparent plastic such, for example, as ionomer resin product. Anexample thereof is manufactured and sold by duPont Company under thename Surlyn. This is a nonstretchable, nonseamed tube of transparentmaterial, with a surrounding wall that extends uninterruptedly about thecircumference thereof, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The tube should be of asufficient length to encircle the limb or other appropriate member towhich the band is to be applied. Normally the tube portion of the bandis made of a standard length and the surplus free end portion may beclipped off when the desired length is determined upon application.

The tube 1 has one end portion, indicated at 2, to which a clip 10 isattached, and the opposite end portion, indicated at 3, is open andfree. It may be cut off at the latter end so as to provide theappropriate and desired length. This may be done during application whenthe appropriate length is determined.

A card, shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, at 4, may be inserted in the transparenttube 1 and which will bear the appropriate identification of the personto whom the band is to be applied and any other desired indiciaappropriate to the use thereof. This card can be inserted into the tubethrough the open end 3 and moved forward by a pusher portion 5. Thepusher portion 5 can be formed of one piece with the card 4 and shouldhave provision for removal of the pusher portion as by a perforated orweakened transverse section indicated at 6 in FIGS. 1 and 4 between thispusher portion 5 and the card 4. These parts may be made in one longnarrow strip of paper or thin cardboard, sufficiently flexible to bendas needed.

A hand-hold portion 7 is provided at the outer end of the pusher portion5 to be grasped between the thumb and forefinger for pushing the card 4in the tube to the desired point. This hand-hold portion 7 may becolored or otherwise marked for contrast, with indicia 8 applied to thestrip so as to indicate the extent to which the strip is inserted in thetube 1, thereby to locate the card in the proper relation for exposingthe information thereon. Indicia is also shown at 9 to indicate thepoint of separation.

The clip is indicated generally at 10 and is preferably formed of asuitable plastic material sufficiently strong to hold effectively theoverlapped end portions 2 and 3 of the tube 1 in encircled relationaround the limb of the wearer, substantially as indicated in FIG. 3.

The clip 10 is formed of a pair of arm portions joined together at oneend with the joined portion somewhat weakened to permit relative foldingof the arms from the open relation illustrated in FIG. 1 to the closedrelation shown in FIG. 3.

This clip 10 may be secured, as by a rivet 11, to the end 2 of the tube1, and with the arm thereof foldable into closed and locked relation, asshown in FIG. 3. The construction and application of the clip aredescribed and claimed more fully in our application Ser. No. 240,139,filed Mar. 31, 1972.

The clip 10 may be formed of a suitable plastic material, such as Nylonmade by the duPont Company, which will have the properties described. Asso formed, it cannot be opened without breaking the catch and therebydestroying the effectiveness of the clip.

In preparing the band for use, the strip comprising the parts 4-7, shownin FIG. 4, is inserted into the tube 1, as indicated in FIG. 5, with thehand-hold portion 7 grasped between the thumb and forefinger. Thismovement is continued until the hand-hold portion 7 reaches the end ofthe tube 1. This will dispose the card 4 at the proper position in thetube. Then by grasping the tube around the card 4 with one hand and thehand-hold portion 7 in the other, the card can be separated along theline 6, and the portion pulled out, as shown in FIG. 7. Then the bandcan be applied to the arm, as indicated in FIG. 3.

The identification band, according to this invention, may be made of anysize desired, for adults, infants, pediatrics, etc., from one initiallength as manufactured. The band is simply wrapped about the arm, orother portion of the person to be identified, and drawn sufficientlytight through the clip, which is then closed. Any excess length of theband may be cut off by clipping the end portion 3 beyond the clip 10.

The overlapped end 3 of the band is securely locked in the clip 10, andthe band secured on the person to be identified. This holds the endportions of the band when the clip 10 is closed, and the latter ispermanently secured so that it cannot be opened without destroying theclip.v

The identification band as described is made of few parts and may bemanufactured at low cost. It does not require a separate nonstretchableinsert strip within a seamed band nor use a metal clip. It is notrequired that it be made in many different sizes, but one size will fitall users with a simple expedient of cutting off the excess length atthe open or free end of the tube.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in oneembodiment, it is recognized that variations and changes may be madetherein without departing from the invention claimed.

We claim:

1. A kit for assembling an identification band, comprising an elongatedtransparent tube of a length to encircle a body member and to have theends thereof folded over one another, means at one end of the tube forsecuring the folded over ends together, an elongated strip of materialformed in one integral piece, said strip of material including a cardportion at one end thereof, an intermediate pusher portion and ahand-hold portion at the opposite end of the strip from the cardportion, means for separating the card portion from the pusher portion,said strip of material being of sufficient length when inserted in thetube to dispose one end of the card portion adjacent the securing meansand with the opposite end of the pusher portion at the outer end of thetube and with the hand-hold portion projecting outwardly from the outerend of the tube, and indicia on the strip of material intermediate thepusher portion and the hand-hold portion for indicating the extent ofinsertion of the card into the tube.

2. A kit according to claim 1, wherein the strip of material is adaptedto be inserted into the tube to the indicia with the hand-hold portionprojecting outwardly therefrom for grasping to separate the pusherportion from the card portion at the separating means.

3. A kit according to claim 1, wherein the tube is of nonstretchabletransparent plastic material and having a nonseamed surrounding wallthat extends continuously and uninterruptedly.

1. A kit for assembling an identification band, comprising an elongatedtransparent tube of a length to encircle a body member and to have theends thereof folded over one another, means at one end of the tube forsecuring the folded over ends together, an elongated strip of materialformed in one integral piece, said strip of material including a cardportion at one end thereof, an intermediate pusher portion and ahand-hold portion at the opposite end of the strip from the cardportion, means for separating the card portion from the pusher portion,said strip of material being of sufficient length when inserted in thetube to dispose one end of the card portion adjacent the securing meansand with the opposite end of the pusher portion at the outer end of thetube and with the hand-hold portion projecting outwardly from the outerend of the tube, and indicia on the strip of material intermediate thepusher portion and the handhold portion for indicating the extent ofinsertion of the card into the tube.
 2. A kit according to claim 1,wherein the strip of material is adapted to be inserted into the tube tothe indicia with the hand-hold portion projecting outwardly therefromfor grasping to separate the pusher portion from the card portion at theseparating means.
 3. A kit according to claim 1, wherein the tube is ofnonstretchable transparent plastic material and having a nonseamedsurrounding wall that extends continuously and uninterruptedly.